Female Physicians More Likely to Leave Medical Practice

HealthDay News — More women than men leave the practice of medicine, according to an article published in Medical Economics.

According to the Medical Economics 88th Physician Report, equal numbers of men and women enter medical school, but there are more practicing male physicians. The report also states that more women cite burnout as the biggest issue facing primary care (71% of practicing women vs 64% of practicing men).

There are no concrete data indicating when women leave medicine — just that they leave at some point due to stressors, to raise children, or pursue different career paths. This illustrates the need to address the stresses female physicians face during the careers, including the pay gap, burnout, and returning to medicine after a break for raising young children.

“While laws vary from state to state, the returning physician will likely be required to take a skill, safety, and competency evaluation after approximately 2 years out of practice, and could then need to be monitored by another practicing physician for a period of time,” according to the article.